Seeing Things Clearly
by squeakykiki
Summary: This is a fluffy oneshot as a result of the threats I got over my last oneshot I'm looking at you grandma. looks and the fact that Loony let me into the Fluff Club. Yay! Fluff!


A light breeze was moving softly past her ear. It gently shook her hair, causing delicate little strands of it to flutter past her face, tickling her skin. She made no move to restrict this contingency as she knew that the probability of it reoccurring seconds later was astronomically high.

The moonlight was casting lustrous silver streaks across the water gently lapping before her. The deep blue, almost black, inkiness of the band of water visible under the pier was threatening and ominous looking due to the obscure level of its depth. She shivered slightly and tried to avoid moving her gaze in that direction.

The lights from the boats cast warm dancing beacons across the water's surface. Indeed, the boats in the extreme distance almost seemed as though little fireflies and not something as outlandish and unromantic as modern electricity were their source of light.

Brennan sighed softly to herself and wrapped her hands gently around her arms, almost as though buffering her body from unwanted contact. She watched, eyes straining in the murkiness of the night, as a bird swooped low over the water, touching its beak briefly into the shiny motile swells of the aqueous gloom.

It let out a call as it moved overhead, startling her momentarily. She twisted her body around to follow its progress across the crepuscular purple of the night sky. As she shifted her line of vision, she caught sight of a figure moving towards her. This kind of occurrence when one was alone on a pier at night would cause most people to feel the beginning flutterings of apprehension, perhaps even make an attempt to move out of the approaching person's line of progression.

Brennan felt no such impulse. Even at this distance and through the opacity of the softly falling dusk, she recognised his body, his steps, him. Striding purposely towards her, moonlight casting a delicate halo of light around his hair, she shuddered slightly at the idea that he would soon be so close. The resolve in his steps left little doubt that it was she he sought.

Impulsively, she turned away, pitching her gaze back over the swirling liquid once more. She felt, rather than heard, him come to a stop beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him watching her. When she refused to oblige and simply look at him, his eyes followed the path hers were currently taking. For a minute and a half the only sound was the soft rustling of the breeze and the far-off cry of circling birds.

"How did you know I was here, Booth?"

She finally gave him a sidelong glance. He didn't reply immediately, just offered a gentle chuckle.

"Don't ask questions you already know the answers to."

Her eyes widened and she turned towards him, blatantly searching his face.

"What do you mean?"

He caught her gaze, nearly unbalancing her with the intensity of his eyes.

"You told the security man at the Jeffersonian that you were going to Arlington National Cemetery and then on to the docks. Now, why would you tell him that if you were simply going home?"

He shifted his line of vision out over the water once more. His next words were so quiet she almost didn't catch them.

"You knew I'd come looking for you."

Brennan ducked her head to hide her smile. She couldn't help it. She had so desperately wanted for him to follow her but was too afraid to ask outright. She had just fervently hoped that he would be his usual caring self and come to find her after work to make sure she actually left work. She could feel the restrictions her anxiety had placed on her lungs gradually lift as she acquainted herself with the knowledge that he had come here to search for her. Out of the goodness of his heart.

"I'm glad you did."

He returned his focus to her face, surprised at the emotion that was clearly audible in her voice. She glanced quickly at the ground and then met his eyes, biting her lip softly. He raised his eyebrows.

"So, why did you go to the cemetery?"

She shifted her weight nervously. He didn't move, patiently waiting for her to work up the courage to say what she had to say.

"I…I needed to go back to where it all began."

His forehead crinkled in confusion and he raised a hand to add significance to his question.

"It?"

She sighed heavily, blowing strands of hair off her face that quickly resettled moments later.

"Yes, it. You and I. Us."

Booth's throat constricted tightly. He let out a rapid 'whoosh' of air and swung out an arm, parallel to the ground, to steady himself. His mind was racing, thoughts flying impetuously through his brain, all moving so haphazardly that he had no real idea what he was thinking. With great effort, he forced himself to respond. He needed to know what exactly she meant…was the implication he was getting something completely irrational?

"Em, us, Bones?"

"Yes, Booth, us."

She turned her body to face him. He shifted to mirror her movements. His heart was hammering in his ears. Come what may, he instinctively knew that this would be a pivotal moment in their relationship. He stood wordlessly, waiting anxiously for her to continue her narration.

"That case…the first one after I returned from Guatemala…Cleo Eller…I…that was when we first really became partners. And…and so, I just needed to go back to the beginning…to see what had changed."

He tilted his head curiously. She let out a quick sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. He waited. The silence grew. Finally he could wait no more.

"And what did you find?"

She growled low in her chest and jerked her body impatiently.

"Nothing. Nothing changed. And yet everything did too."

Booth blinked.

"I think that's the most illogical sentence you've ever uttered."

She ran a hand across her collarbone nervously.

"I know. I know. That's what…I'm so different now…but I'm the same… You…you see what you do to me?"

He spluttered indignantly, raising a hand to rest on his chest to emphasise his point.

"I do this to you? Bones, I didn't do anything. You start saying stupid things, go find something else to blame. I'm not a part of that."

"But you are!"

She did a little jump of frustration that startled him so much he almost let out a shout. He was more than a little perturbed to discover unshed tears glistening in her eyes, alive with some unfathomable emotion.

"I…you made me realise…how alone I am."

The words hung in the air between them. Booth shook his head just as she began to nod hers.

"You're not alone, Bones. You've got the squints…and your dad…and Russ…and your, well, your work."

"That's the problem! My work. I used it to fill the emotional gap left by my absent family. It occupied my time, consumed my thoughts so I wouldn't have to dwell on anything painful. It was a worthy substitute. Then you came along and you show me just how wide and gaping this void is. How something as trivial as work can never fill it…it can't be filled by objects or activities. Only people can occupy this space. Only one person."

Her shoulders slumped. She was suddenly exhausted. She turned to look across the water once more.

Quickly realising that if he continued probing this line of inquiry before she was ready, she might clam up on him altogether. He decided to change the topic.

"So why did you come here?"

The corner of her mouth that was visible to him in profile rose slightly.

"Because this is where you showed me that you wouldn't leave. That, through everything, I can depend on you."

He suddenly gripped her forearm, desperate to show her just how strongly he felt about this particular subject.

"Bones, I would do anything for you. I would lay down my life for you. Wouldn't even have to think about it. I will always be here for you."

She slowly moved her head to look down at her arm. She nodded once and directed her next words at his hand.

"Booth, do you remember the man we brought in for questioning last week, Ray Dwyer?"

He knew it was really a rhetorical question but he nodded nevertheless. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye.

"When…when we told him Amy had been murdered…Booth, that was just heartbreaking. He was so deeply and astoundingly in love with her…and he never got a chance to tell her. And now he never can. His grief over her death was almost matched by his despair over all of the missed opportunities to tell her how he felt."

Booth grunted, unsure of how to respond.

"I don't want to end up like that, Booth."

His head snapped up so quickly to examine her face that she jumped back, frightened by the sudden movement. She giggled nervously. He continued to stare at her unwaveringly. She ran a hand over her face.

"I'm not good with people, Booth. I find them irrational and far too emotional. For the most part, they are thoroughly unpredictable and that worries me. I like knowing how things work, how something is going to react to a particular stimulus. I can't do that with people. They can't be measured or calculated."

"I like how you're differentiating yourself from people."

She ignored him.

"I don't express myself very well. I can analyse things very scientifically and present data complete with all the necessary jargon. I'm good at that. I know I am. That's what I'm comfortable with. I don't know how to discuss my feelings. I don't know how to discuss other people's feelings. I say the wrong thing more often than I say the right. I offend easily. All of this I know. It's just…it's who I am."

Booth's eyes softened with pity.

"I know. That's what makes you, you. The incredible, wonderful woman that you are. I wouldn't want you any other way."

She held up a hand to stop him from continuing. She needed to finish what she had started.

"I don't open up to others. I find it extremely difficult to drop my guard and trust someone. I'm not sure if this is related to my childhood or if it was there all along. Regardless, it's one of my many flaws. I don't find it easy to sympathise, empathise or any of those other feelings necessary for normal social interactions. I'm not at all good at making friends. I find it almost impossible to love."

His breath hitched audibly at her last word.

She shook her head in annoyance. She turned her eyes to his once more, her gaze flashing noticeably with frustration.

"I can't…I'm not saying this right."

She took a step closer to him. Their shoes were now less than an inch apart. He could count every eyelash framing her startling eyes.

"What I'm trying to say…what I've needed to say for the longest time…is that…I'm falling in…"

She shook her head and took a step back. His stomach plummeted and his lips parted slightly in disappointment.

Brennan raised her head once more.

"No, that's not right. I can't…"

She sighed. A moment or two passed. Booth suddenly became aware of the lights extinguishing all around them as people settled themselves down for bed. She squared her shoulders and moved forward once more.

"I…"

She raised a hand and placed it on his chest. Fire instantly scorched the spot and he tensed his back reflexively. Both dropped their gazes down to her hand. Brennan slowly spread her fingers apart, then moved them back to their original position.

"I…"

The two locked gazes once more.

"I've fallen in love with you, Booth. I…I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think I could. I don't even know how it happened or when…but it did and I just needed to tell you. I don't want to end up with monumental regrets like Ray Dwyer. And I'm so sick of missing out on all of the wonderful experiences that Angela has assured me are right there if only I were brave enough to pursue them. So…so that's it."

She lowered her eyes and made to step away from him. He, however, was having none of it. Before she realised what was happening, he had looped both arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

Their noses were almost touching. They only had eyes for each other. She shivered deliciously as she felt his hand slide up her back. She raised her arms to cup the back of his neck. His warm breath was tickling her lip.

"Are you sure…are you absolutely sure this is what you want, Bones?"

She answered him by closing her eyes.

His heart singing, he leaned in, breaching the little space that separated them, and captured her lips with his own. The nerve endings covering their lips exploded into thousands of tiny impulses of pleasure. Their mouths seemed to fit and melt into one another with a perfection neither could have ever dreamed of. Almost at the same moment, the two tightened their grip on the other, pulling them more firmly together. Their first kiss was sweet and yet passionate, gentle and loving but also sensual. They finally broke apart. That is to say, their mouths separated but their bodies remained entwined. They continued to pepper the other's lips with sweet lingering kisses for many minutes.

"Bones, I…"

He leaned his forehead against hers, breathing in her incredible scent. He made a feeble attempt to explain how he felt but dissolved into quiet muttering. They both laughed softly, foreheads gently knocking against one another. Resolutely, he tried once more.

"This is all that I've ever wanted."

She gave him a soft lingering kiss.

"Me too. All I've ever wanted and more."

Laughing with sheer happiness, he pulled her lips against his once more. Under the incandescent moonlight and beside water glistening with thousands of reflected stars, Brennan and Booth began the beginning of their life together as a couple. The evolution in their partnership would bring them countless happy memories, intense moments of joy and incredible, innumerable kisses. But, as they knew when they first expressed their intense, long denied feelings, there are few moments and experiences as wonderful and life-altering as that first kiss with the one you love.


End file.
